The Joint Association Members Meeting Sessions (JAMMS) will host a special industry session to shed some light on the current water shortage in Cape Town.
It will take place on February 2 at 14h00 until 17h00 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre 1.
There will be presentations from key individuals from the City and Province, as well as an opportunity for members to ask questions and provide input. Hotel businesses, tour operators and other businesses can benefit from participation.
Enver Mally, Chairperson of Cape Town Tourism and Lead Chairperson for JAMMS, told Tourism Update that a cohesive approach was needed, one that accommodated all kinds of industry professionals and stakeholders.
He said attendees would get a first-hand account of the current situation, from Day Zero to the future planning measures by Government. They will also be given the opportunity to ask direct questions and share initiatives on water saving, saying: “It is a participative environment where we welcome input.”
When asked if he thought the water shortage in Cape Town is critical, Mally responded: “Yes, but that does not mean we cannot continue to offer tourists a great experience in Cape Town and South Africa, while minimising our water usage. This is a long-term challenge that we need a long-term strategy for. We’ve felt the impact in the short term, so it’s critical that we adapt as quickly as we can to limit the damage going forward. Tourism is an essential contributor to the economy of the Western Cape and it’s our people’s livelihoods at stake.
“We’re realising that we cannot isolate tourism from other sectors; we must push for inclusivity for the private and public sectors, since what they do affects us all. We are stronger together. We need to work together in innovative ways to protect the greater tourism sector, our own businesses and the massive contribution tourism makes to the economy.”
The city has found some alternative sources of water, from desalination projects to accessing aquifers, however the infrastructure around getting these active is a major task.
JAMMS is a partnership between Cape Town Tourism, Fedhasa Cape, Saaci Western Cape and Satsa Western Cape, which convenes to discuss various challenges and opportunities within the tourism sector.